1. By Lilly
Wasserman
ICONOGRAPHY IN
THE WORK OF
AI WEIWEI

2. WHO IS AI WEIWEI?
 Born in Beijing, China
 His father was the revolutionary poet, Ai Qing
 Raised in a labor camp in the province of Xinjiang, China
 Attended Beijing Film Academy in 1978
Source: Lovell, S. (2012) Ai Weiwei Portrait [photograph].
MSNBC.
Source: VOA News (2013) Xinjiang Province [map]. Voice of America News.

3. BIOGRAPHICAL ROOTS
Source: Weiwei, A. (1988) Washington Square Park Riot [photograph]. Brooklyn, NY.

4. RECENT YEARS
Source: Unknown. (2008) Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest”
[photograph]. Beijing, China.
Source: Getty Images. Davidson, A. (2011) Ai Weiwei in the
Rubble [photograph]. Beijing, China. The New Yorker.
The Bird’s Nest Ai’s demolished Shanghai studio

5. LEGAL CONSEQUENCES
Source: Nissen, M. (2008) Beichaun [photograph]. Sichaun, China.
Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 Ai’s artistic retribution
Source: Carver, C. (2012) Snake Ceiling [photograph]. Washington,
DC. Hirshhorn Museum, Ai Weiwei: According to What?
“In December 2008, government officials acknowledged in the most definitive report since
the earthquake that many school buildings across the country are poorly constructed and
that 20 percent of primary schools in one southwestern province may be unsafe.”
-New York Times, 2009

6.  "My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression,
a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about
hanging [pieces] on the wall. Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary
people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don’t
think art is elite or mysterious and I don’t think anybody can separate art from
politics. [In fact], The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very
political intention.”
-Ai Weiwei, Der Speigel
 "If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation
in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a human need .“
-Ai Weiwei, W Magazine
 “I’ve always believed it is essential for contemporary artists to question
established assumptions and challenge beliefs ”
-Ai Weiwei, Hirshorn Museum
AESTHETIC PHILOSOPHY
~IN HIS OWN WORDS~

7.  Exhibited at the Hirshhorn
Museum in Washington, DC for
a 2012 retrospective entitled Ai
Weiwei: According to What?
 Invested with latent significance
of a political nature that fails to
resonate on a purely external
level
 He Xie represents a
metaphysical trend in the
artist’s career
 Requires a particular
methodology to be fully
understood and appreciated.
HE XIE
Source: Art Hag Blog. (2013) He Xie. Washington, DC.

8.  Form and content are
inherently linked
 All forms of cultural
expression are driven by
“essential tendencies of
the human mind”
 These modes of inquiry
transcend time and place.
 Therefore, art reflects a
pan-human process of
investigation, a curiosity
about the world around us
that necessitates cultural
background but is
universally shared.
PANOFSKY’S ICONOGRAPHICAL
APPROACH

9. Pre-
Iconological
• Focus on the formal
elements
• Factual +
expressional
meaning
Iconographical
Iconological
APPLYING THE METHODOLOGY
● Linking figural
elements to their
conventional
meanings
● Explores the broader
cultural context.
● How river crabs
symbolize ongoing
political unrest in
ChinaSource: Ross, J. (2012) He Xie (River Crabs). Washington, DC. Hirshorn Museum

10.  Panofsky’s three-pronged approach gave me the tools to
analyze from multiple vantage points, beginning with
surface details and delving deeper into historical context.
 Without having conducted background research on the
artist’s political intentions I would not have gained a
lingering appreciation for Ai’s work or his individual
circumstances.
 Panofsky’s Iconography gives the formal elements a chance
to shine while adding narrative dimension, thereby allowing
for a holistic understanding of He Xie and other
installations like it.
CONCLUSION

11. THANK YOU!
Through my research process,
I learned is that Ai’s prestige,
like his artwork, is a dynamic
and multi-faceted thing. It
stems from a confluence of
disparate sources: his
charisma as a leader, his
courage as an activist, and
finally, his ability to imbue
striking works of art with an
equally salient message for
social change.
Thank you!

12.  “Ai Weiwei: ‘Shame on Me.’” Der Spiegel, November 21,
2011. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/ai -weiwei-
shame-on-me-a-799302.html
 Solway, Diane. “Enforced Disappearance.” W Magazine,
November 2011.
http://www.wmagazine.com/artdesign/2011/11/ai -weiwei-
chinese-artist-collaborates-with-w
 Ai, WeiWei. "Ai Weiwei: According To What?" Hirshhorn
Museum and Sculpture Garden . Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden | Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/ai -weiwei-according-to-
what
 Preziosi, Donald. "Mechanisms of Meaning." The Art of Art
History: A Critical Anthology . 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.
215-19. Print.
 Panofsky, Erwin. "Iconography and Iconology: An Introduction
to the Study of Renaissance Art." The Art of Art History: A
Critical Anthology. By Donald Preziosi. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford
UP, 1998. 220-35. Print.
 Smith, Roberta. "ART REVIEW; The Message Over the
Medium." The New York Times . The New York Times, 12 Oct.
2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/arts/design/ai -weiwei-
survey-in-washington.html?pagewanted=all
 Adams, Laurie Schneider. “Iconography.” The Methodologies of
Art. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1996 . Print.
Quotes
WORK
S
CITED

13.  Photo #1: Source: Lovell, S. (2012) Ai Weiwei Portrait [photograph]. MSNBC. Retrieved from:
http://behindthewall.nbcnews.com/_ news/2012/06/20/12318406 -chinese-
artist-ai-weiwei-warned-not-to-attend-his-own-court-case?lite
 Photo #2: Source: VOA News (2013) Xinjiang Province [map]. Voice of America News.
Retrieved from: http://www.voanews.com/content/gun -battle-erupts-in-
chinas-xinjiang-province/1647749.html
 Photo #3: Source: Weiwei, A. (1983) Ai Weiwei Brooklyn. New York, NY. Retrieved from:
http://asiasociety.org/aiweiwei
 Photo #4: Source: Weiwei, A. (1986) Outside Tompkins Sq. Park. New York, NY. Retrieved
from: http://asiasociety.org/aiweiwei
 Photo #5: Source: Art Hag Blog. (2013) He Xie. Washington, DC. Hirshorn Museum.
Retrieved from: http://arthag.typepad.com/arthag/2013/03/ai -w.html
 Photo #6: Source: Ross, J. (2012) He Xie (River Crabs). Washington, DC. Hirshorn Museum.
Retrieved from: http://dcmuseumgoer.com/2012/10/07/ai-weiwei-here-in-
spirit/
 Photo #7: Source: Unknown. (2008) Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest” [photograph].
Beijing, China. Retrieved from: http://www.bestourism.com/medias/dfp/5467
 Photo #8: Source: Getty Images. Davidson, A. (2011) Ai Weiwei in the Rubble [photograph].
Beijing, China. The New Yorker. Retrieved from:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2011/01/ai -weiwei-
in-the-rubble.html
 Photo #9: Source: Nissen, M. (2008) Beichaun [photograph]. Sichaun, China. Retrieved from:
http://www.madsnissen.com/sichuan -earthquake -china-2008/
 Photo #10: Source: Carver, C. (2012) Snake Ceiling [photograph]. Washington, DC. Hirshhorn
Museum, Ai Weiwei: According to What? Retrieved from:
http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/resource -
centre/#detail=/bio/press -images-ai-weiwei-according-to-what/
Images
WORK
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CITED